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Interior and northern Alaska cannot fail to live up to expectations of the "great land." For the most part it's a rolling plateau divided by the Alaska and Brooks ranges, crisscrossed by river valleys, punctuated by glaciers and with views of imposing peaks, including ever present Mount McKinley, the nation's highest. Even in high summer, when RVs clog the George Parks Highway, people are still hugely outnumbered by game: moose, Dall sheep, grizzly bears and herds of caribou sweep over seemingly endless swathes of taiga (birch woodland) and tundra. Heading north from Anchorage the first essential stop is the tiny town of Talkeetna , which has great views of Mount McKinley and the opportunity to fly around it. The mountain is at the heart of Denali National Park , the jewel of the Interior. If you prefer your wilderness with fewer people and regulations, head east for the vast and untrammeled world of Wrangell-St Elias National Park . Fairbanks , Alaska's second city, is diverting in its own right and serves as the hub of the North, with roads fanning out to hot springs and the Dalton Highway , threading five hundred miles to the Arctic Ocean at Prudhoe Bay . Weather in the region can vary enormously from day to day, with even greater seasonal variations: in winter temperatures can drop to -50°F for days at a time, while summer days reach a sweltering 90°F. However, the major problem during the warmer months is huge mosquitoes; don't forget to bring insect repellent
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